Contrivance for protecting passengers in railroad-cars



S'. F.. HOLBROOK Car Seat and Couch.

Patented Feb. 21*. 1854.

"PETERS, FHOTO LITHOGRAPHE|L WASHINGTON. D C.

To all whom'it may concern: I venient elevation for sustaining the head Be it known that I, SAMUEL F. HOLBROOK, f a person i a d t iti of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and By sustaining the back and head rests, or State of Massachusetts, have invented a either by flexible bands in-the manner as 5 new and useful Improvement in Railway. above specified we obtain a great pro- Cars, which invention is for the purpose of tection to passengers from injury during preventing accidents to passengers during a collision of two trains, as when a person collisions of trains; and I do hereby declare is thrown forward, the elastic or yielding that the same is fully described and repreproperties of the bands, serve as a pre- 10 sented in the following specification, and Ventive of accident to him, while their the accompanying drawings, letters, figures, strength will suffice to restrain him from and references thereof. being thrown forward over the next seat Of the said drawings, Figure 1, denotes as often occurs. a side view of a car seat fitted up on my With a railway car fitted up in the above 15 improved plan. Fig. 2, is a horizontal secmanner, and with cushioned sides and roof tion taken on the line A to B of Fig. 1. Fig. there is not only little or no liability of acci 3 is a vertical section taken on line C, D, dent to a traveler therein when a collision, of Fig. 1. or running of the track takes lace, but he In the said drawings, 0;, denotes a movis while traveling presented with a far more,

20' able stuffed bench or seat, whose position is easy and comfortable seat than he can have capable of being changed, from that in with any of the inflexible contrivances usuwhich it is represented, in to that shown at, ally resorted to for sustaining the backof a, by dotted lines. From the floor, b, at the seats. the back of the bench, and attached to a If the direction of movement of the car 25 horizontal rod, 0, or any other suitable conis to be reversed, the inclination of the trivance, three or any other suit-able number bands, and the position of the seat may be of broad flexible bands, cl, 01, d, made of changed to accommodate the passenger or leather or strong canvas or other suitable bring him with his face toward the'direcmaterial, are made to extend upward totion in which the car may be moved.

30 ward the roof, 6, of the car, 0, and each be I do not claim to support the back rest by supported and made to slide on a curved inflexible bars hinged to the floor and made bar or rail, 6, extended lengthwise of the to turn so as to bring the back from over car and fastened to the under or inner side one side of the seat to over the other side 7 of the roof, such rails being of such length ofit in order to enable a person to sit with 1 I 35 and so arranged as to permit their respecs his face in one direction or the opposite as tive bands d, (Z, d, to be moved from their may be most convenient to him. Nor do I V V inclination from one side of'a vertical plane claim-the placing in the partition of a car-' i passing transversely through the car, and riage and opposite to and about the height the foot of each band, to a similar inclinaof the face ofa passenger a broad band of U 40 tion to the other side of such plane. padding extending from one side of the cary I The dotted lines, (2, 03, show the inclined riage to the other and-to serve as a protec position of each band, when moved on the tion to the head of thepassenger in case of opposite side of the vertical to that'in which accident, but 1 4 it is otherwise represented in Fig. 1. I claim as my invention and as applied 1 45 Each two sets of these bands is to be proto a railway car or ca'rriage vided with back rests, or stufl'ed cushions 1. The above-described improvement for- E, E, fastened to them horizontally and supporting the back. and head rests, or just above the seat or bench, at. Besides either, viz-By means of strong flexible these back rests they may be provided with; bands (or their equivalents) extended from 50 similar stuffed cushions or head rests, F, F, or near to the floor, to or near to the roof of Y which may be made to slide up and down on the car, substantially as specified. their respective sets of bands, so as to render 2. And in combination with the flexible them capable of being brought to a con- UNITED STATES PA OFFIG SAMUEL r. HOLBROOK, or BosTom AssAoHUsETTs.

CONTRIVANCE.FOR PROTECTING PASSENGERS IN RAILROAD-CARS. i

Specification of Letters Patent No.

10,547, dated February 21, 1854.

bands, Iclaim the .set of slide rails (or equivalents therefor) made to support the bands at one end of each and to allow of their being moved from their-angular inclination, from one side of the vertical to a similar angular inclination on the opposite side thereof in manner and for the purpose as stated.

In testimony whereof, I have hereto set my signature this first day of February A. D. 1853. n V SAM. F. HOLBROOK.

Witnesses: R. H. EDDY,

FRANCIS GOULD. 

